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Simmons College

simmons.edu
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  • Admission Requirements
  • Essay Prompts

Simmons College's 2020-21 Essay Prompts

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Select-a-Prompt Essay

Required
1 pages

Please pick ONE of the following questions and respond to it in approximately a 1-page essay. Note that this essay should demonstrate your critical thinking and analytical skills, moving beyond a mere opinion statement.


Option 1

Will social media help or hurt your college and career goals?


Option 2

A 2014 New York Times article stated that though many believe that millennials are growing up in a colorblind society, “racial tensions are playing out in new ways among young adults.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? In other words, is your generation really "postracial"?


Option 3

What can older people learn from your generation?


Option 4

When should we compromise, and when should we stand firm in our own views/beliefs?

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Honors College Short Response

Required
150 words

As you can see from the Simmons website, leadership is central to the university's mission. Honors students in particular naturally gravitate toward leadership positions on campus and in the surrounding community. Pick one organization at Simmons or in the local Boston community that you would like to get involved in, and tell us how being of a member of the Honors Program will be beneficial to you in this role.

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Common App Personal Essay

Required
650 words

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so.


Option 1

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.


Option 2

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?


Option 3

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?


Option 4

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.


Option 5

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.


Option 6

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?


Option 7

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

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